


Fallout fanfic

by WildWily



Series: My rifle, My Pipboy, and Me [1]
Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout: New Vegas
Genre: Action/Adventure, Multi, Original Character(s), Other, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-13
Updated: 2020-05-13
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:47:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,738
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24155320
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WildWily/pseuds/WildWily
Summary: Johnny, a Courier in the Mojave Desert is shot by a stranger outside of a small town. Miraculously he survives and sets out on a journey to discover who killed him and why. Along the way he meets many friends and enemies.
Relationships: Craig Boone/Male Courier, Male Courier/Arcade Gannon, Male Courier/Ulysses
Series: My rifle, My Pipboy, and Me [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1743163
Kudos: 2





	Fallout fanfic

Doc Mitchel woke up at a relatively early time of day. The sun had just risen above the horizon in the west, sending a beam of light shining brightly through the curtains covering the window in his room. He dressed himself as he had done a million times before and began to move towards his kitchen to begin his breakfast. As he was walking down the hall, he turned to look into his operation room. He was a small town doctor now and his house doubled as his workplace. People made do in the Mojave, and there usually wasn’t much trouble in Goodsprings. Recently, however, he had the most peculiar patient. A stranger who had been shot in the head only four days days prior. Doc Mitchel had spent those days tirelessly operating, and he had permitted himself a night’s rest when he had finally stabilized the patient's wound. The room still smelled of dried blood as he had not yet sanitized his operating room, but people make do in the mojave. In shock he watched as the young man laying on his operating table slowly rose his hand, clutching his forehead where the bullet had been not too long ago. He felt across the stitches from Doc Mitchell's needlework. The doctor was astonished. He expected comatosis, perhaps severe damage to the strangers motor skills. Instead, the young man began to try to sit up, nearly falling over in the process. Without a moment’s hesitation Doc Mitchel came running towards him. 

“Easy” He uttered with a gentle tone, resting a hand on the young man’s shoulder and easing him back onto the table while he gathered himself. The boy’s eyes were blinded by the light and slowly he realized he was looking up at the ceiling. His head was spinning, and a pounding pain throbbed deep in his head. It was enough to make him Nauseous.  
“Why don’t you just relax a minute, get your bearings. We’ll see just how bad the damage is” Doc Mitchel’s voice hurt at first, but as the young man recognized his words, he found comfort in having someone at his side. The doctor was frantically checking the boy’s pupils with a small light, gauging his reaction speed. He seemed to smile, happy with the results. Finally he sat back and the boy took in a few deep breaths before sitting up.  
“Where am I?” The young man weakly mumbled as he rubbed his eyes.  
“You’re in Good Springs. Do you remember why you’re here?” Doc Mitchel Answered reassuringly.

The young man thought for a second, straining his aching brain to remember. Reluctantly, he replied.  
“No” The word came out in a pitiful way, as if the realization of what this may mean dawned on the man. Doc Mitchel did his best to reassure him once more.  
“How about a name? Can you answer that?”

Again, the boy strained himself to think and sheepishly he returned an answer.  
“Johnny. I don’t remember my last name” He replied, again sounding defeated.  
Doc Mitchel felt bad for the stranger. He seemed lost and scared more than truly wounded, but it was clear losing his name meant there was far more lost.  
“Well it’s a start. Why don’t we try to get you on your feet. You’re probably hungry, you’ve been out for a few day now” He said, helping Johnny to stand. Johnny, still fairly dizzy, faltered and Mitchel caught him and let him compose himself before the two of them walked to the kitchen where Johnny sat down while his Doctor prepared the two of them a breakfast of scrambled Nightstalker eggs and Brahman steak. The two ate silently as they were both fairly exhausted. Doc Mitchel was the first to break the silence.  
“So Johnny, is anything coming back? Do you know who did this to you?” He asked, a bit irked by how calmly Johnny seemed to eat after everything that had happened. 

Johnny stopped himself midbite as the memory came back to him. Two strange looking tribals: one with ginger hair shaped into a spiked mohawk, the other a dark skinned man with a bushy beard. They both wore the same outfit, some leather jacket and dirty brown spats. More vividly he remembered a man in a checkered suit. He also remembered the sound of shovels and gunfire.  
“I know what he looks like” Johnny eventually retorted as his headache returned. A flurry of anger set over him that he had never felt in himself before as he thought of the condescending grin of the man in the checkered suit. The fact someone would so casually take a stranger’s life was making him seeth with rage. Doc Mitchel merely snickered at the reaction.  
“Well Johnny, you’re in luck. I found this note in your backpack. It looks like you were a courier for the Mojave express. I thought it might help you figure out why this all happened” He said, sliding the note over to the Courier while he devoured the remains of his meal.  
"If you even want to know"

“It isn’t much but it’s a start. I’ve got your other things over there” Mitchel continued as Johnny chewed. He pointed to a ragged backpack, a small shotgun and two canteens. The Young man remembered his things and the journeys they had gone on together.  
“So what do I do now?” Johnny asked innocently. The question made Doc Mitchel stop to think.

“Well if I were you, I’d take this chance to retire. If you’re a good help, goodsprings will treat you alright. Seems courier work just isn’t what you’re cut out for” He returned, taking both of their plates and putting them in the sink. Johnny stood up and smiled at the doctor, putting a hand on his shoulder.  
“Well. Thanks for patching me up, but I guess I’ll have to decide on my own” He said. He went over to grab his things, searching through his bag. He found his rations, his knife and his medical supplies. Still, he was missing one thing.  
“Uh, do you have my glasses?” Johnny asked nervously. The doctor sighed and shook his head.

Doc Mitchel led the boy out of his house and they said their goodbyes. Doc Mitchel even gave Johnny his old Pipboy to help him readjust. Again, Johnny found himself blinded by the light of day. It was much brighter outside than it was in the dingy old doctor’s home. As his eyes adjusted he looked over the town, a small settlement with packs of large, horned cattle. The herds were small and contained, only two or three to a home. The town had small fields of corn and other simple grains to go along with their beast of burden. Each house was a rustic shack, simple and cozy, save for the two distinct businesses in the center of town. All these buildings were connected by old pre-war roads that had long since been crusted over with desert dust and sand. Through the cracks in the road, weeds were springing up. Lastly, Johnny’s eyes trailed off to the graveyard high up on the outskirts of town. He remembered being bound as he helplessly watched a mohawk’ed man dig his grave in another flashback that burdened his head with a sharp ache. The pain jumpstarted him and sent him walking briskly down to the bar. Before he did anything else, he was going to get a drink.

Walking down the dusty road, the Courier found himself standing in front of the bar. On the front patio were two old men, both sitting on in rocking chairs. Between them was a set of playing cards. The players, however, hardly seemed interested in the game. Instead they enjoyed the silence of the day, and were currently watching Johnny, a first time stranger to both of them. The boy nodded to the two of them before he walked into the establishment and made his way to the bar. It was midday by now and while the bar was open, it was hardly populated. A single lady sat in both, the young lady was a red headed woman with a pretty face wearing a suit of leather armor with pockets for ammunition. The other seat in the booth was taken by a large, stocky dog that laid across the cushion with their eyes closed. Standing behind the bar was an older woman. As Johnny entered the room the dog looked up at him and let out a low growl, but the bartender shushed her.  
“Sunny, quiet that dog before it loses me some business” The woman’s raspy voice snapped in a heckling manner before she turned to her new guest.  
“Sorry about that, it's not often we get a new face in my establishment. I'm Trudy, what’ll it be?” She quickly elaborated as she beaconed him to a seat at the end of the bar. Johnny took the seat and she met him there with a glass that she was busily wiping down with a cloth. He slammed 4 caps on the table and looked at Trudy with a happy smile, pleased to meet someone eager to serve.  
“A slug of gin” He stiffly remarked.  
She folded her arms and looked at the coins.  
“Stranger, four caps won’t get you much of anything around here” She barked.  
“Can’t you make an exception just once? I’ve had an awful day” Johnny implored of her, and his big green eyes broke her stern exterior. With a grimace she took his caps and filled him up a rather tall glass of gin. Johnny took a long swig and put the cup down.

The red head spoke up, taking her chance to jeer the bartender.  
“Damn Trudy, you’re getting soft. What happened to the girl who kicked someone out for being a cap short?” Her voice was deep and smooth, a sultry voice hoarse from time spent in the dry mojave air. Johnny sipped away at his drink while the two girls bickered.  
“Oh hush, judging by the stitches, I’d say this is the Courier that Victor found. People who survive a gunshot to the head get discounts here, alright?” Trudy hollered back at the girl with the dog.

Sunny merely scoffed and replied with a good natured jest.  
“You’re going to find yourself an odd crowd with those rules”  
The group of them laughed, and the red head moved up to the bar next to Johnny. The two shook hands and she properly introduced herself.  
“I’m Sunny Smiles. Mitchel told me to ask you if you needed work if you ever came to”  
“I guess I don’t have much else to do” He told her with a shrug. It was true, without his identity he wasn’t sure where to turn. A change in line of work may be exactly what he needed.  
“What do you do anyway?” He asked, looking over her armor.  
The dog hopped down to join the girl as she finished her drink. She smiled and gave him a clear answer.  
“Mostly hunt geckos. Good meat and the leather sells. I keep coyotes and other critters out of town when the wilderness critters try to creep into town” the answer was short and to the point. “Sound like something up your alley?” She asked as she stood up. 

Johnny nodded and followed her out the bar. The two of them started heading for the outskirts of town. They traveled down the road to a rocky bluff as they began to stroll up to what appeared to be a pipeline, the sounds of odd, high-pitched moans filled the previously silent air as they approached. Sunny Smiles signaled for them to be quiet and the two of them, along with her dog, took cover behind a half-buried boulder. The girl pulled out a small pistol and hanged it to him, and Johnny looked at it oddly.  
“You hear that? We got geckos. Nasty little ankle biters, they’re attracted to the water supply” She explained in a hushed tone.

The two of them were looking over an overhanging cliff. There was a small dirt trail to the side that led down to the waterhole, and around it, two geckos patrolled the area as a third lapped water up. Sunny smile lined up a shot and fired. It hit it’s mark square between the eyes of a gecko, which fell over dead and limp on the ground. The other geckos began to run at alarming speed up the steep trail and rapidly started to cover the distance between them and Sunny. Sunny Smiles fired another round, but in the heat of the moment, she fumbled and her shot went wide. Stepping out in front of her, Johnny held his pistol with two hands and took careful aim, filling one gecko's belly full of lead. The last geko closed the distance with a tremendous jump, but was intercepted by Sunny’s dog. The dog pinned the gecko by the neck and the two of them looked away as the hound finished the gruesome execution. The group let out a mutual sigh of relief and Johnny, parched from days without water, went to the pipeline and dunked his head under the water running out of it, letting his long black hair droop over his face. He guzzled as much as he could while Sunny Smiles spoke.  
“See? That wasn’t so bad. We got two more spots to clear. It’ll be worth the caps if you wanna join” She cheerfully proclaimed, glad to have another human traveling along with her. Johnny merely nodded as he lifted his head up, gasping for air. 

The next water hole was the same as the first. A simple sneak attack was all it took to truly defeat these foes. They dispatched them with only a few rounds and after just a few seconds it was over. As they piled the corpses at this sight, Johnny wiped his brow free of loose beads of sweat that were forming. The sun was scorching and the dry desert air made it hard not to sweat. He took a moment to pet the girl’s dog while they rested.  
“She’s a tough one” He regarded as he scratched the dog’s back happily. He had to admit, he could get used to a life like this.  
“Cheyanne? She sure is. I g-” Sunny began to reply, only to be cut off by a cry of pain. Both of them looked towards where it came from and the Cheyanne bolted off towards it. Shortly after Johnny and Sunny Smiles followed suit. They came a steep trail leading to the last watering hole. In the distance, a small campsite and mobile home sat between a juncture of rocky outgrowths jutting from the ground. It was the only man made structure in sight, save for the well situated here. Currently swinging a kitchen knife wildly was a blonde woman, who was trying to stave off a group of geckos who nipped and slashed at her legs. Her Knees were bloody from the deep cuts of their claws, and her shirt was stained from blood in the shape of tiny bite marks. It was clear she had been defending herself in vain for some time now. The group sprung into action with Cheyanne leading the charge. The dog grabbed a gecko by the tail and yanked it aside, throwing it out of range of it’s victim for the dog to deliver the fatal blow. Johnny acted fast, firing two shots into the backs of two different geckos. The last of the group went running off, but Sunny Smiles lined up a shot and took the speedy reptile down from far away. The mauled lady fell to the ground, resting against the well as she caught her breath.  
“Thank the lord you came, Sunny. If you and your new pal hadn’t come along, I don't know what I would have done” She told them in exasperation.  
Sunny knelt down and began to clean the lady’s wound silently while Johnny watched out for any more Geckos. Finally, he and Sunny helped the other lady to her feet. Johnny handed the woman the pistol to keep herself safe and she started making her way back to Goodsprings. Sunny seemed pleased with the way he took control of the situation, shooting him a big grin. He reciprocated the notion with a big goofy smile of his own. 

Eventually, Sunny Smiles and Johnny collected the gecko corpses and piled them at the campsite just as the sun began to go down, the red head began to skin the hide from the beasts as the golden glow of sundown showered over them. Johnny had gathered a few sticks and some dry underbrush for a fire. As he put his lighter to it, the foliage lit up almost immediately into a crackling fire. The Mojave was a cold place at night, so he fed the fire diligently in hopes of providing the two of them warmth for the night. The small hunting party stayed by the sanctity of the fire as the dark rolled in. The darker and colder it got, the closer they bunched up until Sunny and Johnny were sitting together on two cinder blocks.  
"So. You're a decent shot. If you wanted, you could stay" she asked in between strokes of her skinning knife. Though she tried to act casual she had already grown fond of the Courier. She could tell he was a good man. Goodsprings could use another person who knew how to handle a gun like him. In time, she could imagine him even becoming their sheriff.

Johnny, distracted by poking at the chunks of gecko meat they were cooking over the fire, looked up from the sizzling meal and gave her a confused look.  
"That's mighty kind of you, but I think I've still got some questions I need answered first" he replied softly, hoping not to insult the girl.  
Sunny turned her gaze away from him, surprised by how much the revelation shook her. Perhaps she had grown more attached to Johnny and his handsome face than she imagined. Still, she was a tough girl and a little disappointment wasn't enough to impact her.  
"Doc said you might have forgotten some things" she answered him in an understanding tone.  
"That's an understatement" he scoffed in reply.  
Sunny now felt sympathy for the man. She couldn't imagine how devastating it would be if she forgot Goodsprings and her dog, Cheyanne.  
"Just how much do you remember anyway?" She asked, now back to work on cleaning the hides off the dead geckos.  
Johnny had to stop and think on what she said. There was a long pause of silence between them both while he dished then both some gecko meat. Sunny pulled out a dog bowl and put the remaining chunks in there and Cheyanne eagerly stuck her snout in the bowl to Chow down as the two of them began to eat as well.  
"Not a lot. I remember where I use to work. Other than that, I remember the man who shot me" he replied with a mouth full of Gecko. The very words brought back the picture perfect image of the man in the checkered suit.  
Sunny nodded in acknowledgement to his words. She was surprised how calmly he proclaimed that. Johnny was a strange guy, he never seemed bothered by much of anything.  
"Well. If you're not staying here in town, why don't you go looking for him. You're a pretty good shot. I'd bet you could take him if you catch him by surprise" she responded, only adding fuel to his angry heart.

The flames of the fire crackled and popped with the sizzling fat from the geckoes. Johnny watched the flames dance against the dark night sky as he took in her words. He wanted nothing more than revenge, but hearing someone say it out loud made him uneasy about his building wrath.  
"I don't know what I'll do when I find him. But I know he's going to get one last visit from me" he finally replied in a cold tone that chilled Sunny to the bone. She had never heard him speak so grimly. It was unnerving to see such a kindhearted man think about such gruesome acts. She glanced up at Johnny to see the troubled look on his face and his fist clenched as he stared into the growing fire. To ease the tension she pulled a flask from her pocket and handed it to him, but the Courier just pushed it away.  
"I think I'll be headed out tomorrow" he declared firmly, much to the dismay of Sunny Smiles. Their short time together reminded her how lonely she the wastelands truly made her feel. His presence was a comfort to have, even as he remained silent or reserved. Now, she saw another stranger becoming a loner as well, and she knew him well enough to dissuade him.  
"We're are you even going to go?" She asked in a passionate response. Johnny passed her the note that Doc Mitchel found on him earlier.  
"The Mojave express has a station not too far from here, over in primm. I figure it's a start" he answered as she read over the papers.  
"So this is it then? That's a shame, I was hoping to have some help dealing with the radscorpions next" he joked in a vein attempt at humor. The joke was lost on Johnny, who was clearly too serious now to laugh.  
"Who knows, I might come back once I get my revenge" he replied softly, looking into her eyes and giving her a forced smile. The sentiment wasn't lost on her and she tried to reciprocate his feelings.  
"Just don't come back as a different person" she said with a touch of sarcasm. Sunny knew how revenge could eat away at a man's heart and turn him cruel. She almost expected that out of Johnny if he followed through with the deed.  
The two of them slept in the empty trailer outside the campsite. When they awoke they made the long journey back to Good Springs. Sunny Smiles paid him for his work and the two of them went their seperate ways. He went to the general store for supplies, and she went to the bar.


End file.
